This post therefore looks briefly at a core aspect of transmedia or experience design that is oft left out of the equation, the user need and how we can map out and create transmedia to meet those needs.

Ask yourself…

1. Does your work go beyond short term titillation (think 30 second ad spots, short films, virals or stunt marketing campaigns in shopping malls) and encourage repeat visits over many months?

2. Does it contain intimate, social and group building elements?

3. Is it a trusted, familiar environment to use and take part in?

4. Does it actually work, not fall over, most of the time?

5. Does it encourage user creativity, stimulate user ethics or open their minds to other worlds

On his most recent trip to Greenland, photographer Ciril Jazbec witnessed something magical—a photographic experience that made his “hairs stand on end.” He was there working on his project, On Thin Ice, a chapter in a larger body of work chronicling the effects of climate change on communities in low-lying regions.

It’s clear that cinematography is changing, both from technological and aesthetic perspectives. Images are being created in new, oftentimes fascinating ways, and the role of the cinematographer is evolving at a rapid pace. Cinematographers are now being included in the extensive visual effects processes that dominate contemporary Hollywood — although the extent to which some cinematographers are actually involved is hotly debated. All of this means that the future of cinematography as we know it today is an exciting, albeit uncertain one. However, there’s one area that might provide a new outlet for the cinematographers of tomorrow: video games.

In 2007, when I was a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, I (and most likely others) noticed something odd that was happening in the world of games. A crop of very small teams were starting to get much wider distribution and, ultimately, sales through digital platforms, albeit through an unlikely source: videogame consoles. The insurmountable obstacles surrounding commercial releases were suddenly being lowered and gamemakers like Jonathan Blow and the Behemoth started making serious bank, but in the guise of very personal and thinly assembled titles. These were magically called "indie games."

Justin Nalepa's insight:

A very interesting analysis of recent video game culture and industry practices.

Anna Jackson takes a look at local film and transmedia projects taking an innovative approach to hunting the elusive and all-important audience (featuring Loading Docs, What We Do in the Shadows, Everything We Lovedand The Generation of Z).

"Anna Jackson takes a look at local [New Zealand] film and transmedia projects taking an innovative approach to hunting the elusive and all-important audience (featuring Loading Docs, What We Do in the Shadows, Everything We Loved and The Generation of Z)."

"Interest in transmedia and related forms of multiplatform production has increased significantly over the last few years, reflecting significant changes across all media forms in funding, production and delivery models" (cit)

Recorded live at the Forward slash Story lab, Steve gathers a dozen Digital Media and Interactive luminaries to discuss the ongoing challenges of connecting to audiences. What follows is the birth of a new type of festival that will showcase multi-platform and interactive works of all kinds. Guests in this episode include (in order of appearance) Brian Clark, Lance Weiler, Noel Qualter, Paula Zuccotti, Michael Premo, Ken Eklund, Mike Webster, Lina Srivastiva, Richard Dansky, Jan Libby, Stuart Candy, Oscar Raby and Christy Dena.

A com[prOculus has found a way to make a headset that does more than just hang a big screen in front of your face. By combining stereoscopic 3-D, 360-degree visuals, and a wide field of view—along with a supersize dose of engineering and software magic—it hacks your visual cortex. As far as your brain is concerned, there’s no difference between experiencing something on the Rift and experiencing it in the real world.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

A comprehensive timeline of the Oculus Rift and its journey up to this point.

The true crime podcast has become an addiction for millions of listeners -- and the reasons why might be useful for any storyteller.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

Have not tuned in yet, but am very intrigued now.

The show's use of presenting case evidence on the website as an interactive component is also a nice touch:

"By providing case evidence on its website, and encouraging listeners to pore over it as they listen, "Serial" taps into a relatively new cultural assumption about the ubiquity of information. Our ever-broadening access to data makes us feel as though there's no question we can't answer. Not knowing seems archaic."

There's no doubt that filmmaking is changing, but instead of sitting back and taking note of its metamorphosis, maybe we should get busy deliberately changing it. Jump inside the universe of legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog and learn the many inspiring lessons he shared with his students at his Rogue Film School, including how to be a cinematic hacker, why you should become your own producer, and how to do the wild stuff.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

Some thoughts, feelings and observations from Werner Herzog's Rogue Film School.

As the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset grows in popularity ahead of its late 2014/early 2015 consumer release, it’s already doing some pretty amazing things in beta. Though it’s been designed primarily for 3D gaming VR, it can also do things like controlling aerial camera drones. Clearly in the near future there are going to be some passive film viewing applications for the Oculus — Joe even posed the question here on No Film School earlier this year “will we watch movies like this in the future?” Well, if the company Jaunt VR has anything to say about it, the answer is YES.

“Remember before the internet?” asks Joi Ito. “Remember when people used to try to predict the future?” In this engaging talk, the head of the MIT Media Lab skips the future predictions and instead shares a new approach to creating in the moment: building quickly and improving constantly, without waiting for permission or for proof that you have the right idea. This kind of bottom-up innovation is seen in the most fascinating, futuristic projects emerging today, and it starts, he says, with being open and alert to what’s going on around you right now. Don’t be a futurist, he suggests: be a now-ist.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

Looking at the ways in which people are learning to innovate around the world. A call to action for innovative people to "deploy or die", and have their work go out into the world for others to experience and be inspired by.

Experience an immersive journey into the Southside of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

Via @storycodeorg:

"Within a generation, the NYC neighborhood of Williamsburg has drastically changed. Southside Stories is a guided walking audio tour featuring newcomers and long-term residents who share their thoughts on the community’s past, present and future. Participants get an opportunity to see the neighborhood from a different perspective and walk in the shoes of another person and ultimately empathize with their experiences."

Andrew DeVigal and Laura Lo Forti started their company, A Fourth Act, to build community around story. With HARVIS, a new mobile web application, they bring people together in physical space to share their own stories and solve their own problems. Combining analog with digital, they redefine engagement.

Circa 1948 is an interactive art app for iPad and iPhone, an installation and an interactive photo essay created in partnership with the artist Stan Douglas and the NFB Digital Studio.

The project allows users to discover the city of Vancouver circa 1948, a time where two vibrant communities are struggling through a time of change. By exploring this story from the past, the project ties an economic downturn to urban planning, and corruption to the black market and shows their relevance in any time period.

Sortie En Mer (A Trip Out to Sea) is a harrowing first-person experience that reinforces the importance of wearing a life jacket (it was sponsored by yachtwear manufacturer Guy Cotten).

What starts as a lovely sailing trip soon escalates into a terrifying experience as the user is literally knocked into the water and must scroll to stay afloat. Eventually this proves futile and you eventually fall to the sea floor. It's a simple premise and the experience is unforgettable.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

Very interesting work. I can only imagine what this would be like with an Oculus VR set to experience...

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